Passage Home receives $600,000 grant from Bayer USA Foundation for Raleigh community revitalization and education initiatives

April 29, 2013

April 25, 2013 – Reaffirming its commitment to the greater Raleigh-Durham area, Bayer CropScience today announced increased support of Passage Home, the Raleigh-based anti-poverty organization whose programs have been recognized nationally, through a $600,000 Bayer USA Foundation grant.

The four-year grant will support the non-profit community development corporation’s overarching goal of alleviating poverty and homelessness and strengthening families and communities in Wake County. Specifically, it is earmarked for development of a new community garden in the Brown Birch neighborhood of South Raleigh and for increased support of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education for students involved in Passage Home’s after-school and summer school programs at the neighborhood’s Safety Club.

Nancy McFarlane, Mayor of Raleigh, and Dr. Mae C. Jemison, astronaut and Bayer’s longtime national Making Science Make Sense® spokesperson joined James Blome, President and CEO, Bayer CropScience LP, to present the check to Jeanne Tedrow, Executive Director of Passage Home, at the site of the community garden at 1201 Angelus Drive.

“With this grant, Bayer CropScience is deepening its roots in an area of the country that serves as our headquarters for North America and our global Seeds business,” said Bayer CropScience’s Blome. “As a company with a rich history in science education and science literacy through our Making Science Make Sense program, we understand the importance of strengthening STEM education for today’s youth, as well as fostering vibrant, viable and sustainable neighborhoods through the creation of community gardens.”

Passage Home’s strategy to create economically-sustainable urban neighborhoods by promoting urban green spaces for residents and improving STEM education for students is a critical and important demonstration that science is a fundamental part of our everyday lives.” said Dr. Jemison.

We are so thankful to Bayer Crop Science and the Bayer USA Foundation for their generous support of our work, ” said Jeanne Tedrow, Passage Home CEO/Co-Founder. “This grant will enable us to build our youth and their STEM skills and knowledge by bolstering our work with Bayer’s Making Science Make Sense volunteers, in addition to building our neighborhood into a place of fellowship and beauty that all of our residents have a stake in.”

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